DXXZL - 46

At exactly seven o’clock, the wedding ceremony began, and the atmosphere was exceptionally warm and heartfelt.

When Ding Xiang and his bride came around to toast the guests, he jokingly asked, “Class monitor, when will it be your turn with Li Xixi?”

Xu Xiangyang glanced at Li Xixi. Over the years, they had argued, broken up, and made up repeatedly. With a wry smile, he said, “Not anytime soon. Miss Li says she wants to focus on her career first.”

Everyone burst into laughter, urging them to hurry up. Under the table, Li Xixi stomped on Xu Xiangyang’s foot and smiled sweetly. “The entertainment industry is so competitive. I’m practically washed up already. If I don’t work hard, I’ll have to retire soon!”

“Come on, you’re still red-hot right now!”

“I’ve got your songs playing in my car.”

“Yeah, get Zhu Xingyao to collaborate with you. Together, you two could stay relevant for another 30 years!”

Amidst the chatter, Zhu Xingyao smiled along. But as she turned her head, her eyes met Jiang Tu’s lowered gaze. His dark, deep eyes sent her heart into further disarray. Quickly turning away, she tugged at Li Xixi—it was their turn to perform.

Ding Xiang came over to toast Jiang Tu, who picked up a glass of soda instead of alcohol.

Suddenly, someone started clapping, drawing everyone’s attention to the glass stage at the front of the banquet hall. Zhu Xingyao walked out from the side, the sound of her high heels clicking crisply against the floor. She sat down, adjusted her cello, and gave the guests a bright smile before raising her bow.

The room fell silent for a moment, then buzzed with excitement as people eagerly pulled out their phones to take photos and videos. After all, Zhu Xingyao’s concerts in recent years had been rare and exclusive, with tickets nearly impossible to secure. The same went for Li Xixi’s performances. Now, seeing the two of them share the stage at a wedding felt like an unexpected bonus!

Jiang Tu’s gaze remained fixed on the girl on stage, his chest tightening with emotion. This wasn’t a dream or an illusion—it was real. She was less than fifty meters away from him. He was no longer the impoverished, debt-ridden teenager weighed down by endless troubles, too afraid to even utter a word of love.

Now, he had the means to buy her a custom-made Italian cello, to provide her with a proper home, to ensure she wouldn’t have to endure hardships alongside him, allowing her to remain the shining star she was meant to be. That is, if she was willing.

The wedding festivities didn’t wind down until after nine o’clock. A group of old classmates moved to a private lounge in the hotel to continue chatting for another two hours. Li Xixi, exhausted from rushing back after a work commitment, leaned against Xu Xiangyang’s shoulder and fell asleep. After Xu Xiangyang carried her off to their room, Zhu Xingyao also stood up, slinging her cello case over her shoulder.

Jiang Tu was outside on the phone. As he hung up, he turned and saw her emerge. He spoke briefly into the phone: “That’s all for now. Let’s talk more tomorrow at the office.”

He ended the call and approached her, his voice tentative as he asked softly, “Are you heading back? Let me give you a ride.”

Zhu Xingyao looked up at him, as though trying to reconcile the man before her with the boy she remembered from high school. Blinking, she nodded.

In the underground parking lot, Jiang Tu carefully took the cello case off her shoulder and placed it in the backseat.

Zhu Xingyao stood behind him, watching his movements. Just as he finished and was about to close the car door, she suddenly reached out and pressed her hand against it. Startled, he paused, his hand still resting on the doorframe. Zhu Xingyao bit her lip, then ducked under his arm and slid into the backseat.

Jiang Tu: “...”

Looking at her seated primly in the back, he realized she wasn’t ignoring him entirely—she seemed lost in some kind of confusion, though he couldn’t tell what she was struggling with. He closed the car door and smiled faintly.

The car glided smoothly through the night, its interior dimly lit. Zhu Xingyao leaned back in the rear seat, her gaze fixed on Jiang Tu’s hands as he deftly maneuvered the steering wheel. His wrist bore a men’s watch, the sleeves of his gray shirt rolled up to his forearms. His fingers were long and elegant, the veins subtly pronounced, appearing strikingly attractive in the low light.

She didn’t know what he was feeling at that moment. Back in high school, she had taught him German, played the cello for him on snowy days, and kissed his jaw after he’d been injured. He had shielded her from water jets, fought for her and gotten hurt, skipped class with her, gambled arcade tokens for her, and gifted her a sky full of starry lights on her seventeenth birthday… only to push her into Lu Ji’s arms.

And she, driven by impulse, had lashed out violently, committing a grave mistake.

There was so much between them—unspoken, tangled threads—but they had never been lovers. And they hadn’t seen each other for eight years.

Half an hour later, Jiang Tu parked the car beneath the shadow of trees in the villa district. He stepped out, retrieved her cello case, and gently placed it on her shoulder. In a low voice, he said, “Go ahead and head inside. Get some rest.”

Under the bright moon and starry sky, the night breeze rustled the leaves. Zhu Xingyao suddenly tilted her head up and softly called his name: “Jiang Tu.”

Jiang Tu was momentarily stunned. He had assumed she wouldn’t speak to him at all tonight. His gaze lingered on her gently swaying earrings, the delicate necklace around her slender neck, and the beautiful straight line of her collarbone. On her shoulder rested her beloved cello.

He smiled faintly and asked softly, “Have you been silent all night just because you were hesitating between calling me ‘Jiang Tu’ or ‘Brother Tu’?”

Zhu Xingyao looked up at him and nodded lightly. “Mm.”

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the night breeze lifted the hem of her dress. Jiang Tu caught a faint scent drifting from her—different from what he remembered in high school. He gazed down at her, silent for a moment, before murmuring, “I’m sorry.”

Zhu Xingyao froze, unsure of how to respond. She realized she hadn’t been seeking an apology from him. Upon reflection, what exactly did he owe her? Suddenly, she felt a wave of confusion.

Jiang Tu watched her closely. “I’m used to hearing you call me ‘Brother Tu.’“

Her lashes fluttered slightly as she tugged at the strap of her cello case, whispering, “Back then, we were young, so it didn’t matter. But now that we’re grown up…” Just then, headlights from an approaching car illuminated them, causing her to squint.

Their position was blocking the path, so Jiang Tu gently pulled her aside. As the car passed by, Zhu Xingyao snapped out of her daze and took another step forward. “It’s late. I should go inside.”

“Wait a moment.”

Jiang Tu looked down at her. “When do you have time? Let’s have dinner together. Invite Lin Jiayu and Ding Xiang too—I should treat you all to a meal since I’ve returned.”

Zhu Xingyao paused, lowering her head. “Alright.”

Jiang Tu said, “I’ll call you.”

Before she could respond, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag—it was a call from Zhu Yunping. It was already midnight. She glanced at Jiang Tu and said, “I’ll head back now.”

________________________________________

Zhu Xingyao walked into the living room and changed her shoes. Zhu Yunping stood up from the couch and turned to her. “How did you get home?”

“A classmate dropped me off,” she replied.

Zhu Yunping chuckled. “A male classmate?”

Zhu Xingyao hesitated, then nodded. She didn’t mention that it was Jiang Tu.

Yawning, Zhu Yunping gave her some advice. “Go take a bath and get some rest soon. Drink a glass of warm milk before bed—it’ll help you sleep better. Don’t rely on pills so much. Your mother checked your pill bottle last night. Why are you taking medication again? Try going out with friends more often instead of always practicing the cello alone.”

They were counting her pills again. Zhu Xingyao didn’t know what to say, so she obediently nodded. “Got it.”

Zhu Yunping smiled. “Ideally, you should find a boyfriend.”

Zhu Xingyao whispered, “Dad…”

“Alright, alright, I won’t nag you anymore. I’m going upstairs to sleep.” Zhu Yunping ruffled her hair affectionately and headed upstairs.

Late at night, Zhu Xingyao poured herself a glass of water out of habit. She unscrewed the cap of her pill bottle but paused, lowering her eyes. She set the bottle down. Sitting on her bed, she opened WeChat and found the friend request notification. After a moment’s thought, she turned off her phone and tossed it onto the cabinet before climbing under the covers.

She thought to herself: Jiang Tu never said this was his WeChat account.

The painful lesson of the starry lights still lingered in her mind. She wouldn’t add him carelessly.

Downstairs, Jiang Tu’s car remained parked where it had been. Leaning back in his seat, he tilted his head slightly and took a drag of his cigarette. His hand rested on the edge of the car window as he gazed at the dim yellow glow of the streetlights outside. Over the years, Jiangcheng had changed significantly, but this place had remained almost unchanged.

He saw the light in the eastern window on the second floor suddenly go out.

Only at this moment did he feel a sense of belonging.

After a while, Jiang Tu drove away.

________________________________________

The next morning, Zhu Xingyao woke up feeling unusually calm. Li Xixi had sent her a message early in the morning, saying she had taken an early flight back to Beijing.

Li Xixi: “Last night, many people posted photos on their social media feeds, and some even uploaded videos to Weibo. My agent says it’s good for publicity. Just wanted to let you know.”

Zhu Xingyao smiled and replied, “Okay.”

In recent years, Zhu Xingyao had rarely participated in activities other than concerts. However, Li Xixi’s agent had included her in Li Xixi’s image-building strategy. According to the agent: “Having a talented and beautiful best friend is a great way to attract fans.”

Zhu Xingyao opened Weibo and, sure enough, saw that Li Xixi had trended on the hot search list, along with photos and short videos of the two of them.

At this time, it was 9:30 a.m. Beijing time.

Xu Xiangyang walked into Lu Ji’s office. Lu Ji looked up from his desk and said indifferently, “You guys managed to make it onto the trending list just by attending a wedding.”

Xu Xiangyang yawned. “Li Xixi’s agent doesn’t miss any opportunity to boost her popularity. There’s no helping it.”

Lu Ji glanced at his computer screen, seeing photos of Zhu Xingyao. Netizens were praising her beauty and talent in the comments. Some self-proclaimed insiders added their own remarks:

“She’s definitely gorgeous—she’s been the goddess of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School for years, unmatched by anyone! And her boyfriend back then was also one of our school’s top idols.”

“Zhu Xingyao broke up with her boyfriend ages ago. That idol has become her ex-boyfriend now. Thinking about it still makes me regretful. Back then, he pursued her relentlessly, using thousands of star-shaped lights to confess his love. Anyone who says engineering students aren’t romantic can fight me!”

“I’ve seen photos of that idol—he even won the national physics competition gold medal a few years ago!”

Lu Ji closed the Weibo page without expression. He handed Xu Xiangyang the coffee on his desk and casually asked, “Did Jiang Tu attend the wedding too?”

Xu Xiangyang, wanting to chat idly with him, sat down across from him. “Yes, he attended. He’s changed a lot and is doing very well now. If nothing had happened during his college entrance exam, he would’ve been our classmate.” Xu Xiangyang chuckled. “Maybe the three of us could’ve formed a team—the Three Musketeers.”

Lu Ji smirked. “The Three Musketeers? Never in this lifetime.”

Xu Xiangyang turned to look at him, puzzled. “Why do you dislike him so much? He’s even better than me.” He paused. “By the way, at the wedding, I noticed Jiang Tu seemed to be paying extra attention to Zhu Xingyao. Based on my years of experience reading people, I think Jiang Tu might have feelings for her.”

Lu Ji sneered. “You finally figured that out? And here you were boasting about your years of experience—what a joke.”

“What do you mean, ‘finally’? Did you notice it long ago?” Xu Xiangyang thought carefully. “But he hasn’t returned in eight years, and you haven’t even seen him.”

Lu Ji leaned back in his chair, his tone indifferent. “Not that long ago—but earlier than you.”

If he had known earlier, would Jiang Tu have been saddled with so many accusations?